txolops Chapter 85 The Ancient City Opens
Chapter 85 The Ancient City Opens
After being away from the battlefield for hundreds of miles, Huang Chen finally found a cracked lava cave underground and crawled inside.
This place was once a conduit for subterranean fire; the air is filled with the smell of sulfur, and the rock walls still retain a dark red warmth.
He sat down cross-legged, took out a high-grade Qi and Blood Pill from his storage artifact, and swallowed it without hesitation.
The elixir melted instantly upon entering the mouth, and a powerful warm current swept through the body. The blood and energy depleted from the recent series of battles were quickly replenished and filled, like a parched riverbed receiving timely rain.
The power of the early-stage Celestial Immortal was like a rising sun within him, radiating boundless light, yet also carrying a hint of uncontrollable wildness. Huang Chen closed his eyes, his mind sinking into his body, beginning to carefully analyze this surging power, refining it inch by inch, imprinting it with his own will.
Time passed in silence, and by the afternoon of the next day, the scorching heat inside the cave seemed to have subsided considerably.
Huang Chen slowly opened his eyes, a golden light flashing in them.
The power within him had been completely restored, and he could now move his arms and fingers with perfect ease, without the slightest stagnation.
Instead of setting off immediately, he channeled a wisp of his divine sense into the earth's veins, creating a faint resonance with the distant Flame Array.
In his perception, the shelter exuded a calm and vibrant atmosphere. He could "see" Old Tie directing the men to reinforce the valley's defenses, while the old man in the prison distributed food and herbs to the newcomers.
Xin He kept her promise; all the human sacrifices rescued from the blood feast, including the rescued mine slave B, had been safely delivered. Some of the newly recruited guards, though still quite inexperienced, already showed a determination to protect their homeland in their eyes.
The situation in the rear is temporarily stable.
Huang Chen withdrew his divine sense and felt somewhat relieved.
But his expression didn't relax; instead, it held a chilling murderous intent.
He flipped his hand and took out a fragment of the Blood Banquet Banner that he had seized from the City of Ten Thousand Demons.
Although the flag was tattered, the vengeful spirits and malevolent energy clinging to it had not dissipated. The moment Huang Chen's fingertips touched the flag, countless mournful roars and desperate curses flooded his mind like a tidal wave.
Blurry and bloody images flashed by.
He saw the human elder being slapped into a bloody mist right in front of him, his last breath still screaming for him to run away.
He saw the passing earth immortal, whose face was indifferent, as if he had crushed an ant.
He also saw a ferocious demon general, whose signature cracked fangs were tearing at the flesh of humans.
It was none other than the Fang-Cracking Demon General, one of the main culprits who slaughtered his original tribe!
These old grudges, these deep-seated hatreds, were stirred up again by this small, tattered flag, burning within his chest.
"Ten Thousand Demon City... Cracked Fang..."
Huang Chen muttered to himself as he crushed the tattered flag fragments into dust. A torrent of karmic energy emanated from the fragments and was instantly absorbed by the system.
But at that moment, he had no interest in checking the harvest.
He stood up and took out the old animal skin map that Xin He had given him from his pocket.
The map uses vermilion lines to mark a hidden path leading to the ruins of the ancient city of Chiwu.
As dusk fell, the setting sun, like blood, dyed the entire wasteland with a poignant crimson hue.
Huang Chen's figure moved like a ghost among the jagged rocks, and following the guidance of the ancient map, he arrived at a vast and boundless sea of red sand.
At the edge of the desert stands a magnificent yet dilapidated complex of buildings.
[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name 12199.99]
The massive stone pillars have broken and collapsed, and the towering towers have been cut in half, half-buried under the shifting sands. This is the ruins of the ancient city of Chiwu, one of the battlefields of the ancient war between the lich and the demon.
A strange aura, a mixture of intense heat and icy cold, permeated the air. Even after countless years, the imprints of the laws that remained on this land had not faded.
Amidst the broken walls and ruins, a wisp of golden fire feather would occasionally burst into flame, or a deep blue cold pattern would flash by. The two forces collided, emitting a silent light of annihilation.
The moment Huang Chen stepped onto the crimson sand, a cold system notification sounded in his mind.
【Ding! 】
The second condition for the second stage of the main quest "Stepping into the Core of the Primordial World" has been activated: "Seize the initiative in the ruins of Chiwu Ancient City!"
】
【Task Objective:】
1. Enter the core area of the Chiwu Ancient City Ruins
【2. Obtain the Main Formation Pivot Seal】
3. Rescue the human laborers trapped in the ruins.
[Quest Reward: Partial reward from main quest completion, details unknown.]
Huang Chen's gaze swept over the mission target, and he understood.
This ancient city ruins are indeed more than just a wasteland; they also harbor the human race.
Instead of rushing recklessly towards the seemingly peaceful entrance to the ruins, he crouched down, gently pressed his fingers on the scorching sand, and activated the [Tracing the Pulse Spirit Listening Technique].
hum!
The sound of the whole world seemed to change instantly.
The sounds of wind and flowing sand are stripped away, replaced by the pulsation of various energies deep within the earth's veins.
He "heard" it.
Not far ahead, a chaotic and ferocious demonic aura gathered, interspersed with rude curses and the sounds of clashing weapons. That was the advance team sent by the City of Ten Thousand Demons.
He "heard" it.
Not far ahead, a chaotic and ferocious demonic aura gathered, interspersed with rude curses and the sounds of clashing weapons. That was the advance team sent by the City of Ten Thousand Demons.
In another direction, several faint auras emanated, yet they were as sharp as unsheathed swords, carrying the pure and ethereal energy unique to immortal sects. These were cultivators from elsewhere, presumably also drawn by the opportunities within this ancient city.
What permeates the entire site is the most numerous and chaotic kind of atmosphere.
They are fiery, violent, and imbued with endless sorrow and resilience.
They are like burning flames, or like stubborn ghosts, repeating their obsession with protection over and over again.
The ancient city of Jinwu guards the remnants of its spirit.
Huang Chen slowly raised his head and squinted into the depths of the ruins. He could "see" a small-scale conflict erupting behind a broken wall.
As soon as the wolf-headed demon soldiers stepped into the plaza, three golden fire feather afterimages suddenly shot out from the ground, piercing their chests like sharp blades. Flames erupted, and the demon soldiers didn't even have time to scream before they were reduced to charred remains.
Not far away, a cultivator dressed in a blue Taoist robe was hugging the wall, trying to bypass the remnant spirit's patrol range to pick a spiritual herb growing in a crack in the rock.
But as soon as he moved, a leopard demon pounced out of the shadows to his side, its sharp claws aimed straight for his throat.
"court death!"
The cultivator roared and forced the leopard demon back with a backhand sword strike, but in doing so, he also revealed his whereabouts.
Several remnants of the golden crow's spirits instantly locked onto him.
The three forces, wary of each other and hunting each other down, have created a chaotic and dangerous balance.
Huang Chen withdrew his hand and silently retreated, disappearing into the shadow of a boulder.
Rushing in now would only make us a target for all three parties.
He needed an opportunity. An opportunity that would keep everyone else preoccupied.
He waited quietly, like a lifeless stone, suppressing his aura to the extreme.
As night deepened, three blood moons rose into the sky above the desert, draping this ancient battlefield site in an eerie red veil.
Finally, a violent explosion resounded from the center of the ruins, as if someone had triggered some powerful restriction, attracting the attention of all beings.
It's now!
Huang Chen's figure slid out of the shadows without making a sound. Like a wisp of black smoke, he used the broken walls and ruins as cover, bypassing several points of conflict, and plunged into the dark archway leading into the ancient city.
A cold and ancient aura wafts over you.
Cold, deathly silent, ancient.
This was Huang Chen's first impression after stepping through the archway.
The sandstorms and sounds of battle outside were blocked by the thick stone walls, leaving only an ancient silence that made it hard to breathe.
The air was filled with dust and a strange, burnt smell, like the embers left after wood and flesh had burned together for thousands of years.
He didn't immediately venture deeper, but instead pressed his back tightly against the shadows inside the archway, activating the "Tracing the Pulse Spirit Hearing Technique," his ears twitching slightly. Deep underground, the scorching and violent remnant spiritual energy became even clearer, like invisible walls of fire, rhythmically patrolling the charred streets.
Huang Chen held his breath and activated the Extinguishing Breath Concealing Technique to its maximum, as if he had merged with the shadows. He peeked out halfway and quickly scanned the scene before him.
This place was once a magnificent city, but now only ruins remain. The charred streets are wide enough to accommodate ten carriages side by side, with collapsed pavilions and palace skeletons on both sides.
In many places, the ground collapsed, revealing bottomless wells, from which black winds poured back, emitting mournful wails.
Several golden, fiery afterimages drifted like ghosts across the sky above an alley, causing the air to distort slightly in their wake.
Those are the remnant spirits guarding the ancient city of Jinwu. They have no physical form, but are merely fragments of undying fighting obsessions, and are extremely sensitive to the aura of any living being.
Huang Chen's gaze passed over the remaining spirits and landed further away.
In a relatively open square, a group of demon soldiers were using long whips to drive a group of ragged human laborers.
"quick!
Hey all you, hurry up! Go and tear down that pile of broken rocks over there!
'
A wolf-headed demon soldier grinned maliciously and lashed his whip across the back of a human elder who was moving a little slower, instantly tearing his skin open. The laborers, emaciated and with numb eyes, were used by the demon soldiers as flesh and blood puppets to scout ahead and trigger the ancient restrictions hidden in the ruins.
Huang Chen's gaze turned cold. He didn't act immediately, but continued to observe.
The advance team from Wan Yao City clearly knew something about this place. Instead of rushing in, they chose to use human lives to wear down the ancient city's defenses.
He moved silently, his feet treading on the gravel without making a sound.
Like a black cat, he used the shadows of every broken wall and every boulder to constantly change positions, quickly constructing a map of this outer ring area in his mind.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he had figured out three routes that could bypass most of the remnant spirits' patrols and lead to the core area of the ruins.
All three roads lead in the same direction—the outline of a massive fire altar that stands tall in the center of the ruins, resembling the spine of a giant beast.
Just as he was about to choose one of the routes to go deeper, a suppressed conversation came from behind a half-collapsed palace wall not far away.
Huang Chen paused, then slid along the wall and brought his ear close to a crack.
"Burning Feather Demon Commander, are you confident in obtaining what I desire?"
The main array's pivot seal was entangled by the Golden Crow Fire Lock and further bound by immortal sect restrictions, making it extremely difficult to obtain.
A hoarse and gloomy voice rang out, sounding like an elderly person, but the voice was erratic, carrying a unique clarity of the immortal sects, yet mixed with an indescribable eeriness.
"Hmph, you tattered-robed immortal envoy, all you need to do is prepare the 'remnants of war' that this commander requires."
Another voice rang out, filled with violence and arrogance; the sound alone carried a scorching heat.
"As long as we can obtain the Fire Souls of three thousand ancient city soldiers and allow my men to complete their bloodline tempering, let alone a mere main array pivot seal, what difficulty would there be in extracting the core of this Crimson Crow Ancient City?"
Huang Chen's pupils contracted slightly.
Burning Feather Demon Commander? Torn Robe Immortal Envoy?
He peered through the crack and saw two figures standing behind the wall. One was tall, with a pair of dark red wings folded behind him, the edges of the feathers seeming to glow with sparks, and he exuded a terrifying aura of a demon king.
He was the commander of the vanguard of the Ten Thousand Demon City, the Burning Feather Demon Commander.
The other was wearing a tattered gray Taoist robe, and his face was covered by a thin mist, making it impossible to see his features.
However, the aura of immortality emanating from him was exactly the same as that of the cultivators of the Xuantian Sect, clearly indicating that he was a member of an immortal sect.
A demon clan commander and a celestial sect envoy were secretly trading here.
The demon race wanted to use the remnant souls of the Golden Crow soldiers who died in the ancient city to temper their demon soldiers' bloodlines. The immortal sects, on the other hand, specifically requested the main array key seal that was crucial to the operation of the entire ancient city.
"Coordinates, I only need the ancient teleportation coordinates sealed in the pivot seal," the tattered-robed immortal envoy said hoarsely. "With it, my immortal army can bypass the defenses of Buzhou Mountain and reach the heart of the Northern Sea."
After this is accomplished, your journey south from Ten Thousand Demon City will be unimpeded.
"good!
"Burning Feather Demon Commander laughed loudly, his laughter shaking the rubble. "Then it's a deal. I'll use these blood offerings to clear a path, and then I'll go and retrieve the pivot seal for you!"
'
Huang Chen silently retreated, his eyes revealing a murderous intent.
Not a single one can be left alive.
Whether it's the Burning Feather Demon Commander who wants to strengthen the demon race, or the Remnant Robe Immortal Envoy who wants to lure the immortal army to bypass and launch a sneak attack on the Northern Sea, if their schemes succeed, the countless living beings caught in the middle will suffer, especially the weak human race.
He glanced at the human laborers being driven to dismantle the ruins' restrictions, and a plan formed in his mind.
He quietly circled around to the entrance of a narrow alleyway called Firewind Alley. The terrain here was special; every now and then, a scorching gale would erupt from the ground, and even the demon soldiers were unwilling to approach it.
Huang Chen took out a bead the size of a pigeon egg from his pocket.
Wind-stabilizing pearl.
He infused a wisp of spiritual energy into it, and the bead emitted a faint hum, instantly calming the surrounding raging wind elements. He flashed into the alleyway, which faced the direction from which the laborers were about to be driven.
He waited quietly.
A moment later, a series of chaotic footsteps and shouts were heard.
"Useless trash! Get out of here!"
"Tear down that altar over there!"
A leopard-headed demon soldier kicked a laborer in the back, sending him crashing into a crumbling stone altar.
On the altar, runes flickered faintly, clearly indicating a restriction.
At that moment, Huang Chen made a move.
He made no sound, but simply reached out from the shadows of the alley, and the Asura Blood Blade silently slashed across the area. The two demon soldiers who were bringing up the rear didn't even see what happened before their throats were cut open, and scalding demon blood gushed out, but Huang Chen used his internal energy to restrain it, so that it didn't make a sound.
He moved swiftly, appearing behind the group of laborers, his blood-red blade flashing as he severed the chains binding their feet one by one.
"bite!
'
[By protecting my fellow human beings and rescuing thirteen people from forced labor, I have earned 650 merit points.]
A system notification sounded in my mind.
The laborers were stunned, their numb faces filled with astonishment and disbelief.
"Don't make a sound. If you want to live, come with me."
Huang Chen's voice was extremely low, like muffled thunder from underground.
Two faces in the crowd made Huang Chen pause for a moment.
Although the two men were equally emaciated, a trace of undiminished resilience remained in their eyes. He recognized them; one was the one he had rescued from the Broken Vein Camp, and the other he had seen on the outskirts of Buzhou Mountain.
Unexpectedly, after wandering from place to place, they ended up in the hands of the City of Ten Thousand Demons.
"Sir!" one of them mouthed silently.
Huang Chen nodded slightly, made a shushing gesture, and then pointed to a collapsed well not far away.
"Go inside, hide, and don't come out."
'
He had no time to explain further, quickly leading the laborers into the well, while he himself was the last to enter, and roughly covered the well opening with a huge stone slab.
Beneath the well lies an abandoned secret passage leading to a half-collapsed sacrificial tower.
After settling the laborers, Huang Chen sneaked into the sacrificial tower alone.
The interior of the sacrificial tower was gloomy and empty, with mottled murals on all four walls depicting the glorious past of the Golden Crow clan.
In the very center of the altar, a bronze seal the size of a millstone floats silently in mid-air.
Main formation pivot seal.
Around it were dozens of chains made of pure flame, the Golden Crow Fire Locks. These fire locks, like living fire serpents, constantly moved, radiating terrifyingly high temperatures capable of melting steel.
Directly above the pivot seal, a black nail about three inches long was deeply embedded in the void. Runes flowed around the nail, emanating a chilling suppressive power that precisely suppressed the most violent power of the fire lock, forming a delicate balance.
Fire-suppressing nails!
Huang Chen recognized it at a glance; it was the magic weapon commonly used by the lineage of Master Xuanyao!
It seems that those immortal cultivators had been here before and tried to take the pivot seal, but were ultimately blocked by the Golden Crow Fire Lock and could only temporarily suppress it with the Fire Suppressing Nails.
Now, the Burning Feather Demon Commander and the tattered robe immortal envoy have also set their sights on this place.
Huang Chen narrowed his eyes.
Forcibly seizing it would inevitably disrupt the balance and detonate the Golden Crow Fire Lock. The resulting commotion would be too great and would attract an attack from all forces.
He slowly stepped back, a cold smile curving his lips.
Since you all want it, I'll create an opportunity for you to get it.
He didn't look at the seal again, but turned around and stopped at the four corners of the altar.
He stretched out his finger and, using his own blood essence as a guide, quickly began to carve lines on the ground.
He quietly buried tiny imprints of the prison-suppressing monument under the floor tiles.
What he needed to do was not to break the formation, but to borrow it.
He intends to use the balance created by the Golden Crow Fire Lock and the Fire-Suppressing Nails in reverse to set up a deadly trap.
Once the Burning Feather Demon Commander or the Remnant Robe Immortal Envoy arrive to seize the treasure, he can instantly unleash the power of this place and annihilate them here!
Having done all this, he was preparing to retreat back into the secret passage to rejoin the laborers.
Just then, a terrifying pressure came from above the altar without warning!
boom!
The entire sacrificial tower trembled violently, as if gripped tightly by an invisible hand. Huang Chen was all too familiar with that violent and scorching aura.
It's that Burning Feather Demon Commander!
Instead of clearing the outer barriers, he returned ahead of schedule!
Huang Chen's face darkened, and he instantly disappeared behind a broken stone pillar.
Outside the hole at the top of the altar, the sky suddenly darkened.
A pair of enormous, dark red fiery wings obscured the light of the blood moon, and a violent demonic aura poured down like a torrent, making the air inside the sacrificial tower thick and scorching hot.
The Burning Feather Demon Commander hovered in mid-air, its cold gaze sweeping over the ruins below, like a demon god wielding flames.